Tories Torment

What are the Tories all about? A couple of decent results and they think they are destined for Downing Street! Nothing like counting your chickens!

At the Tory get together this week in Ayr, Annabel Goldie claimed that the Scottish Tories were on the up. That may be stretching it a bit. But here is a question I want to ask Goldie and Cameron. How many MPs do you expect to return at the next Westminster election?

Let’s assume they hold on to all the seats they have. Wait until I get my calculator. Yep, I’ve got the answer ~ 1. Now let’s look at the seats they could win. Perth? Doubt it. Angus? You joking?! Dumfries and Galloway is a possibility. Stirling is another, but then you are getting into the realms of massive swings needed.

But I can see an answer to the problem that is so bloody obvious. There are two words that would bring about a Tory government in Westminster for at least the next 30 years and a substantial increase in the number of Tory MSPs.

Being the nice guy I am, I will tell the Tories how to achieve this.

Scottish Independence.

It goes without saying that not having to worry about Scotland, the Tories down south would be in a lot stronger position. Up here, disassociating themselves with the bad people that brought about the poll tax, the Tory Party might once again reach levels akin to the 50% they reached back in 1955.

Who knows, after independence, the SNP might disband and lots of them might join a revamped Tory Party. Some of the policies the SNP are pursuing at the moment are not a million miles away from the ones the Tories would be proud of. More police on the streets, cut in business rates etc.

But today in an interview with Brian Taylor, Annabel Goldie admitted that she would vote against a referendum on Scottish independence. She would not give the electorate the chance to have their say.

It may have been 11 years since the Tories have been in power, but it looks as if they are still hanging on to their old habits.

They love keeping Scotland down.

Be Prudent!!

One of accountant’s favourite words is prudence. I should know, because I am an accountant.

Prudence means estimating on the side of caution although Wikepedia’s, equally appropriate definition is, “Conventionally, prudence is the exercise of sound judgement in practical affairs.”

Now, Grant Thornton is an international accounting firm and one of the biggest in the UK.

So when Grant Thornton claims that Scotland would be a rich nation if it were to become independent, then people should sit up and listen.

Based on a prudent estimate of 82.5% of North Sea revenues, Grant Thornton say that we could afford to cut corporation tax from 28% to 12.5% and cut income tax by 5p in the pound and still have £2bn of a surplus.

I say prudent estimates of North Sea revenues because the SNP are demanding a 95% share of the revenues, compared to the 85% estimated in the study. If 95% was taken, the surplus would rise to £6.2bn.

Now, Labour has repeated stated in the past that businesses would leave in their droves if Scotland were to become independent. Is it just me, or would the opposite happen with businesses flocking INTO Scotland when tax rates are so low?

Independence?

BRING IT ON!!

Going Round In Circles?

Labour are doing that many U-turns at the moment, they are at risk of going round in circles.

Can you believe anything they say anymore?

Remember at election time they were saying that if we voted SNP then extremely bad things would happen to Scotland! Well we are still waiting.

Remember barley a couple of months ago, Wendy Alexander claimed that a referendum was a distraction and would only feed the SNP's obsession.

Remember Alexander then got her Unionist mates together and set up a commission to look at the role of the devolved Scottish Parliament, EXCLUDING independence.

Now, she has completely bypassed her own commission and is saying what is Salmond waiting for. She wants a referendum on independence right now with a simple yes or no to the question.

Labour are an absolute joke and I sincerely hope that this political gamble comes back to bite Alexander on the arse when Scotland votes yes to the independence question.

Black Day For Brown

Two years is an astonomical amount of time in politics. There are governments that have not even lasted two years. However that may be that amount of time that Gordon Brown has left before he is ousted.

This week saw Labour get an absolute kicking in the local elections in England and Wales. If this trend continues through to the election, expected in 2010, then Brown will be out the door faster than you can say, "Ten years of economic stability."

If the local elections results weren't bad enough, Labour then went and lost the London Mayor elections to a Tory candidate that may have been more at home in the Monster Raving Loony Party.

So where can we look to in history to see when the last time such a local election whitewash happened. Well not too far. John Major suffered a similar fate in 1995, before being punted out of office in 1997.

The Labour Party are scheming behind the scenes to try and replace Brown. But at the end of the day, sometimes you just have to accept that you can't influence anything. People want change. They are sick and tired of Labour spin and they want an alternative. For the majority of people in the UK, that alternative is seen to be the Tory Party.

So fast forward to 2010. I would imagine the Tory Party would be the last party most Scots would vote for in order to give Labour a kicking. This leaves the Lib Dems and the SNP. Maybe this will give Salmond the votes he needs to achieve his ambitious target of 20 MPs.

If the Tories are elected in 2010, what will this mean for Scotland?

One thing that is pretty certain to happen is the introduction of English votes for English laws in Westminster. Is this just another step to the separation of the Union?

Let's hope so!!

Fuel Shortage

What is the last thing you should say if you want people to avoid panic buying? “Don’t Panic Buy.”

As soon as those words are uttered, people are racing off to the nearest petrol forecourt faster than you can say “Oil Refinery.”

Remember those big long queues back in 2000, the year of the fuel protests, well expect to see similar queues in the coming days as the prospect of a strike at Grangemouth looms ever closer.

The proposed strike is about the changing of the company pension. And it seems that both sides have really dug their heels in and are playing out a war of words in the media. 97% of the Union members voted for strike action, which gives an indication of the feeling. Therefore I wouldn’t expect either side to back down any time soon.

But the people who shout, “Don’t panic buy,” really p!ss me off. We have got enough fuel until Friday they claim. Aye, very good. What happens when Friday comes though? It is perfectly understandable why people go and fill their cars up.

It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few days and if Scotland does run out of fuel, what the political fall out of this will be.

Anyway, better go. I’ve got a car that needs filling up!!

More Labour Party Conference

A couple of weeks ago, I asked how long Wendy Alexander had left as Scottish Labour Leader. Judging by Gordon Brown’s address at the Labour Party Conference in Aviemore earlier in the week, perhaps my question was a bit premature.

For Brown said

"And I believe that Wendy Alexander is not only the leader of our party here in Scotland but she will be the next first minister of Scotland whenever an election is declared."

As stated in my last post, I think I have about as much chance of getting elected First Minister as Alexander has. Although I can tell Brown exactly when the next election will be declared. It’ll be four years after the previous one!

Will it be four long years of learning for Labour? Perhaps a time to reflect on what went wrong in the previous election and learn the lessons? Maybe a time to stop being obsessed by the SNP and offer their own vision of how they see Scotland’s future?

I say we should stand up for the people of Scotland and for the young children of Scotland and we will be the front line of defence for them against those SNP cuts.

– Gordon Brown

I will lead by exposing the dishonesty of the SNP.

- Wendy Alexander

SNP is taking Scotland back to the days of Margaret Thatcher through local government cuts

– Andy Kerr

Yeah. Right!!

Who is advising the Labour Party? Have they learned anything from their fall from grace last May?

Alexander claimed:

"Here at Aviemore, the fightback has begun. It's time to go to work."

What the hell have they being doing for the last ten and a bit months?

Oh that is right! Firstly they were denying that they lost the election. Then they were saying a long protracted goodbye to their UK leader. Then their Scottish leader decided to give someone else a chance. Step forward Wendy Alexander! Elected unopposed. A fresh start for the Labour Party. But wait a minute, what is this? A dodgy donation?

No wonder they haven’t had time to consider the rest of us!

So how do you think Alexander rates her performance in the months since she took over? This was the very question she was asked during a webcast at the Labour Conference.

We all know most politicians love themselves, so given the donation debacle, you might think she would give herself a 7 or 8 out of 10. But, oh no!! Alexander thinks her performance has been a top notch, can’t be faulted, aspirational 10 out of 10.

The long and short of it is that Labour has learnt nothing from the last election and if they continue in the same vein, they will be a lot longer than four years on the opposition benches.

Labour Party Conference

Gordon Brown PM today addressed the party conference in Aviemore and claimed that Wendy Alexander would be the next First Minister of Scotland.

Personally, I think I have more chance of becoming the next first minister, than she does. However, if the unthinkable were to happen, then I would seriously consider leaving the country.

The thought is that unbearable!